Recherche

PROSTATE CANCER CANADA HONOURS DR. MARTIN GLEAVE

Executive Director of Vancouver Prostate Center Chosen as 'Local Hero'
for Contributions to Fight Disease That Affects One in Six Men in Their
Lifetime

VANCOUVER, April 21 /CNW/ - Steve Jones, President and CEO, Prostate
Cancer Canada and members of the business community today celebrated
Dr. Martin Gleave as a 'local hero' for his extraordinary contributions
to fight prostate cancer.

Dr. Martin Gleave is Executive Director, Vancouver Prostate Centre at
Vancouver General Hospital, Liber Ero BC Leadership Chair in Prostate
Cancer Research, and Distinguished Professor , Department of Urologic
Sciences, UBC. He was recognized at the 10th Annual 'Wake Up Call Breakfast, presented by TD Bank Group' and hosted
by Donald McInnes, Vice Chair and CEO, Plutonic Power Corporation. Dr.
Gleave was praised for his pioneering efforts to understand the
cellular and molecular mechanisms leading to prostate cancer
progression.

"Prostate Cancer Canada is proud to celebrate Dr. Gleave for his
courage, inspiration and dedication to a disease that afflicts one in
six Canadian men in their lifetime," Mr. Jones said. "Through his
leadership as a scientist, surgeon and executive director, the
Vancouver Prostate Centre is internationally recognized for excellence
in prostate cancer research."

"I'm honoured to be receiving this award from Prostate Cancer Canada.
Canadian researchers are making great advances in the fight against
this disease and I'm proud to be part of it," Dr. Gleave said. "I'd
also like to thank Prostate Cancer Canada for its leadership in raising
awareness and funding critical research in Vancouver and across the
country."

Breakfast attendees also heard The Honourable Wally Oppal, former
Attorney-General of British Columbia, speak about his personal
experiences as a prostate cancer survivor.

The Wake Up Call Breakfast is the only Canada-wide business breakfast
series dedicated to the fight against prostate cancer. Over the past
decade the event has attracted more than 16,000 business professionals
and raised nearly $1.9 million for prostate cancer research, awareness,
support and advocacy.

Momentum
The 'Local Hero' award is the latest in a series of initiatives by
Prostate Cancer Canada to advance its goal "to create a truly national
organization that has the resources and strength in numbers to be an
effective voice to make a difference in the lives of those affected by
this disease," Mr. Jones added.

In March, PCC opened its first regional office in Halifax and announced
a series of initiatives to strengthen the fight against prostate cancer
throughout Atlantic Canada.

The Halifax office brings together 15 regional prostate cancer support
groups under the Prostate Cancer Canada Network. "The decision of
independent groups to affiliate with Prostate Cancer Canada is gaining
momentum. We now have 58 support groups under our umbrella across the
country," Mr. Jones noted.

National Survey:
Also in March, Prostate Cancer Canada released the results of a national
online survey of 1,500 men and women designed to understand current
knowledge about the disease. The survey showed that although the
majority of Canadians are somewhat aware of the prevalence of prostate
cancer, their specific knowledge of the main screening test - the PSA -
was low. The majority of respondents, 58 per cent, said they knew
little if anything about the test. Approximately 34 per cent reported
that they had not heard of it.

Mr. Jones said the survey indicated that Canadians believe correctly
that prostate cancer can be treated effectively if detected early. Even
so, many men are delaying getting tested. A full 75 per cent of
respondents believe that men could wait until 40 or over. Thirty-one
(31) per cent believe men could wait until 50 years of age to get
tested, a serious misunderstanding that could contribute to the
mortality.

"Our survey reconfirmed the need for ongoing public awareness to help
men and their loved ones better understand the risk of the disease and
encourage men to get tested sooner than later," Mr. Jones said.

About Prostate Cancer Canada
Prostate Cancer Canada is the only national foundation dedicated to the
elimination of this disease through research, education and awareness.
Prostate Cancer Canada raises funds for the development of programs
related to awareness, public education, advocacy, support of the
afflicted and research into the prevention, detection, treatment and
cure of prostate cancer. For more information and to learn about
testing and treatment, visit prostatecancer.ca